After our train ride from Hong Kong we arrived in Canton. We had a brief tour there and then it was another air flight to Guilin, a city known for its beautiful landscape and rock formations. The Park Hotel was situated next to Lake Osmanthus, very close to the city center. It was a nice setting with walking paths around the lake while a couple bridges added some charm of their own.

The following morning a tour-bus took us up a steep mountain road to visit a remote section where the Yao people have created fantastic rice paddies on steep terrain. This region of Long Seng is referred to as the Dragon Spine Rice Terraces. We had been told there would be a long hike but that there was a restaurant two thirds of the way to the top where lunch would await us. So all of us started up the steep path.

 

 

Along the way we noticed that the farmers were growing a variety of vegetables and other crops such as these gourds, peppers and, of course, rice. They were laid out to dry right along our path. It is amazing to see how the locals can carry heavy burdens up these paths; how about a bed?

As we climbed higher, the rice paddies became more obvious. During the spring planting season this can be quite spectacular to see (below is a post card copy). But we were here during the fall, shortly after the rice harvest; however, the terraces are still very much in evidence. Notice the bundles of rice stacked along the paddie walls.

Sharon was not able to go all the way to the top because of her bad knee. She and others stayed at the restaurant while some of us continued on and had our picture taken with these young ladies in some of the local, festive costumes.

For those who don't want to or cannot climb this high, it is possible to hire a couple fellows to carry you up or down. I did this part of the way but quickly gave up feeling sorry for the two struggling men. I even gave them a tip that was totally unexpected. On the way back we found this fellow squeezing juice from sugar cane. We tried some and found the drink to be sweet, of course, but quite refreshing. Near the bottom, Sharon and Lani tried to lift one of these rick-shaws and couldn't get Pat off the ground. Roger and I had no such trouble.

Before we boarded the bus to go back to the hotel, we asked these women to undo their hair. It is normally spiralled in a large bun on top, but it was amazing to see how long and thick their hair was when they combed it in front of us. Then Sharon had to buy some of their souvenirs.